The Roots of Progress

Get your fine, handcrafted artisanal essays right here

I use AI a lot in the writing process—but not for drafting

Jun 11 • Jason Crawford

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May 2026

Blog-Building Intensive Applications Due Monday!

Apply by June 1 to join the next cohort of progress intellectuals and writers

May 29 • Emma McAleavy

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Join us today on Substack Live to learn about the Blog-Building Intensive Fellowship

We'll be live at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET today!

May 27 • Emma McAleavy

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What is happening in the world

AI, stagnation, populism, my theory of wokeism, and more

May 3 • Jason Crawford

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April 2026

Announcing Progress Conference 2026

Oct 8–11 in Berkeley, CA: A four-day event to connect people in the progress movement

Apr 20 • Ben Thomas

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AI is already 10x-ing academic research. How do we get to 100x?

Agentic AI could unlock social science abundance

Apr 16 • Andy Hall

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Teaching Progress Studies at Universities

A workshop for professors, May 21–24 in DC, hosted by RPI & JHU

Apr 13 • Ben Thomas

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Announcing the 2026 Roots of Progress Blog-Building Intensive

Apply to the 4th cohort of this highly-regarded program for progress writers and intellectuals

Apr 6 • Emma McAleavy

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March 2026

As we may vibe

Reflections on six weeks of coding with Claude

Mar 4 • Jason Crawford

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February 2026

Links and short notes, 2026-02-20

“Some kind of turning point,” Elon on Dwarkesh, a social network for AIs, and lots more

Feb 20 • Jason Crawford

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Policy: From ideas to real-world change

Talks and writing from Progress Conference 2025

Feb 16 • Ben Thomas

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Health, biotech, and longevity: How to extend human flourishing

Talks and writing from Progress Conference 2025

Feb 10 • Ben Thomas

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